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| Nov 24 | Men's Basketball | at Providence |  |
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L 106-64 | |
| Nov 24 | Men's Hockey | #9 Massachusetts + | |
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7:05pm | |
| Nov 25 | Women's Hockey | at Northeastern + | |
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3:00pm | ||
| Nov 25 | Women's Basketball | DARTMOUTH | |
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7:00pm | |
| Nov 27 | Men's Basketball | at Drexel (Legends Classic) | |
4:30pm | |||
| Nov 27 | Men's Hockey | at Northeastern + | 7:00pm | ||||
| Nov 28 | Men's Basketball | at Cornell (Legends Classic at Drexel) | |
2:00pm |
Saturday, Feb. 20 at Bryant
3 p.m. - Smithfield, R.I.
Bulldog Stadium
Click Here for UVM Athletics' YouTube Channel
Video: Catamount Classic
Photos: Catamount Classic
Live Stats: TBA
Live Video: B2 Networks
Facebook: UVM Athletics | Rally Catamount
Twitter: @UVMAthletics or @UVM_M_Lax
YouTube: UVM Channel
Q&A with Vermont head coach Ryan Curtis
Question: Ryan, last season you played the most challenging schedule in school history and faced three top-5 teams. How do you think that helped prepare this year's returning players?
Ryan Curtis: Our first priority when we got here was to really strengthen our schedule. I believe there is no substitute for challenging yourself each week. If we want to compete with these teams on the field, and off the field in recruiting, we have to play them and start beating them. I think the most valuable lesson for our returning players is that the perceived gap between our team and top-10 programs is not as great as they imagined. They saw, especially towards the end of last season, that in fact it is a thin line separating us from those programs and that we can compete with anyone.
Q: Can you give us your general thoughts on how you see the America East shaping up this season?
RC: The America East has really developed into one of the best lacrosse conferences in the last few years with teams being ranked in the top-5. America East teams in the NCAA Tournament have knocked of perennial powerhouses. I think right now it is still between Albany and UMBC but all the teams are very good and it will be a very competitive season in conference.
Q: Derek Lichtfuss emerged as one of the top players in the conference and in the country as just a freshman. Where can he elevate his game further this season and how do you see the rest of the attack unit developing around him?
RC: Derek's strengths last year were his ability to finish and get open. I think he was a bit under the radar and would expect that teams key on him more this year. As a result, we've been working with him on getting freed up to shoot and handle the ball more than he did last year. Derek has also gotten himself in much better shape this year and has a better understanding of what we are doing offensively. With Geoff (Worley) returning from an injury, I think Derek will get a lot of opportunities as Geoff has very good vision and works well with Derek. Andrew Kelleher gives us another scoring threat at attack and has been playing very well this year. I think we will see much more consistent play out of that group than we saw a year ago.
Q: Seniors Brandon Goodwyn, Michael Watson and Alex Young are your captains this season. What kind of leadership are they bringing to the team?
RC: Brandon, Michael and Alex all bring a different style to their roles as captains and that has been a pleasant surprise. They have developed into an extension of the coaching staff and taken their roles very seriously. They have been clear as to what their goals for this team are and have done a great job of relaying that to the team.
Q: Give us an overview on how the midfield unit is looking?
RC: We are a little thin at the midfield this year numbers wise, but think we have put together two very good lines. We bumped a few attackmen to the midfield and Liam Thomas and Alex Young have responded great to that move. Those two units have spent a great deal of time in practice and in meetings understanding their strengths and roles in the offense. They work well together and with the attack. I think our offense will be improved as a result. We also return a very experienced group in the defensive midfield with Tommy Archer and Luke LaBranche. Max Gradinger, though only a sophomore, played in every game as a freshman and gives us athleticism at the long stick midfielder spot.
Q: Defensively you have some underclassmen that you will rely on heavily. How are they progressing and certainly at the end of last season they gained some valuable experience?
RC: Our defense returns as our most intact group this year. The group that started our last two games in 2008 are all back. I think ending last year as starters did give them some valuable experience and has allowed them to approach this year with more confidence. They're an athletic group and once Chris Maubach returns from an injury, I think we have four very good defensemen.
Q: Justin Lubas had his best season to date at Vermont last year and is back for his final season in 2009. How important will his experience be and how are the other goaltenders coming along?
RC: Finding out that Justin could recover one more year after an injury ended his freshman season really changed the direction of how we approached this year defensively. This will be the first time since I've been here that we have the same goalie in consecutive years. Defense is an area where continuity goes a long way towards success. All three of our defensemen have played together and with the same goalie. Justin knows what we do and why we do it. This allows the poles around him to just play. This also gives our two freshmen goalies an opportunity to adjust to the speed of the college game without the pressure of starting right away. I think our younger guys will be better off having this year to get up to speed.
Q: Based on last season's performance, what areas do you hope to improve upon the most in 2008-09?
RC: Where I want to see the biggest improvement is in our weekly preparation. We have to take the same approach to each team regardless of their ranking. Along those ends, I would like to see a more business like approach from our guys. The other thing we always tell our players is to compete at all times. Similar to how we approach each week, our intensity should be the same if we're losing, winning or tied. I think if we compete each week at a high level, we will see a lot of improvement.
Q: What newcomers do you expect to make an immediate impact on the team this year?
RC: I think we'll see a few freshmen playing significant roles this year. Thomas Galvin in the midfield has really come on lately and is playing very well. Cal Kennedy has shown that he's athletic and has a good enough stick to take runs with Max (Gradinger) at LSM. Peter Oswald who came in as a face-off specialist has been solid there but has really stood out for his midfield defense. He will be working in with Tommy (Archer) and Luke (LaBranche) right away while taking some draws for us as well. I think Liam Thomas, though not a "newcomer" will have a big impact this year playing a new position. Also Geoff (Worley) who missed the majority of last year with an injury gives us an extremely dynamic offensive player as just a red-shirt freshman.
Q: What are three of your main goals for the team this season?
RC: As mentioned previously, my main goal is for this team to compete non-stop; to out-work every team we play. Second, to play with confidence against a challenging schedule. I think at times we played a little too tight last year because we were worried about making mistakes against some of the better teams we faced. Lastly, I want this group to get to the America East Tournament. Tournament play is a great experience and would be very rewarding as our guys realize how hard it is to get there.
Last modified February 23 2009 04:10 PM
